On the Calculation of the Electrical Conductivity of Hot Dense Nonideal Plasmas

Abstract

Factors affecting the calculation of the electrical conductivity of hot dense nonideal plasma systems are revisited and scrutinized. Essential features relevant to truncation of the internal partition function, Coulomb strong coupling, electronic excited states, in addition to high ionization boundary and Coulomb logarithm, are thoroughly investigated and assessed. Particular interest has been given to the study of the frequently occurring problem of producing intersecting conductivity isotherms at high densities. An improved model for the prediction of the electrical conductivity of hot dense matter is developed and used to calculate the electrical conductivity of partially ionized and partially degenerate matter at high energy density. Compared to results from competitive models in the literature, predictions from the present model have shown better physical behavior in avoiding the problem of producing intersecting isotherms at high densities.